


Rounding Life Off

by chii



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-18
Updated: 2012-10-18
Packaged: 2017-11-16 13:29:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/539936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chii/pseuds/chii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>North’s done it since they were little, rounded life off in South's favor, because for some reason, it was never as kind to her as it was to him. If he could do something about it, then he would.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rounding Life Off

**Author's Note:**

> 10 million points if you get what the "rounding off life" reference is from.

He’s done it since they were little, rounded life off in her favor, because for some reason, it was never as kind to her as it was to him. If he could do something about it, then he would. 

South gets sick on car rides no matter what, and the first time it happens, they’re not South and North, obviously. They’re Olivia and Owen, and when she gets sick in the back seat of the car, all over the back of their mom’s chair and the ground, Owen clutches his seatbelt tight, and wrinkles his nose at the smell as their parents pull over.

It doesn’t make any sense— it’s all on her side, all right there, but before his parents say anything, he’s leaning forward and cringing at the smell, but, “I got sick.”

No one believes him. Hell, he doesn’t even know why he suggests it, and South gives him a weird look for his trouble, but it’s a habit he finds he has, and doesn’t break, not ever. He’ll protect her from the little things that he can, because that’s what brothers do. That’s what he can do.

It’s a slice of pizza here— the bigger slice, the one with more toppings that she likes, the one that’s still hot. South doesn’t even pretend like she doesn’t notice it, now, she just squints at him across the table as she snags it, and picks off her favorite things, but neither of them comment on it, both knowing he’ll just deny it.

It’s a colder soda there, on hot days when the two of them are out on a break between classes. He keeps the lukewarm water bottle in his bag and buys her a soda with the last of the change he scrapes from the bottom of his bookbag.

It’s walking on the side of the sidewalk closest to the road, not because he thinks anything is likely to happen, but _just in case_ , or stepping on the side of the sidewalk that has puddles on it so she doesn’t have to walk there.

It’s taking the hit on the boards when she messes up, when she nearly gets all of them killed and claiming that it was a lack of communication, that it was his bad because he’d been on point, he’d read all the intel and he could have done better.

It’s calming her down at night when she’s furious and punching whatever she can take her frustrations out on, the door, the wall, the lockers, and in the end, just curling his arms around her and letting her ruin his favorite shirt when she fists her hands in it and jerks, furious.

And in the end, it’s staring Maine down as Theta presses himself as far back in the back of his mind as is possible, and taking two long steps in front of South. He and Theta try reasoning- he tries logic, he tries appealing to the two of them, only to see the flicker of more AI than just Sigma, and he realizes that maybe it’s not just him right now, maybe it’s just Sigma and the other AI, maybe it’s not even Maine anymore. Maybe they can’t reason.

“South, go,” he says shortly, expecting to find her right behind him, except she’s not. She’s barely a blip on his motion trackers, her radio off, no weapon drawn because she’s ducking behind cover. He realizes, in that moment, that she’d taken the side with the most cover, that she’d lagged back, turned her radio off, separated herself from him so very neatly. There’s a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he swallows it back, because Theta’s sharp and panicked in the back of his head and he can help this. He can fix this, just this. “Theta? Hey, buddy, gonna need you to do me a big favor, okay?”

The shields around them shake, and he feels Theta stretch and reach for South, desperate for back up because they have it, so why isn’t she here? “Theta.”

“I— okay.” Theta’s hologram shivers and then solidifies as the shields do and Maine snarls, a sharp flicker of orange bleeding over them, eating the shadows. It’s just light, but North finds himself backing up all the same, the orange licking at the shield.

North doesn’t want to do this. His hand tightens on his rifle, and he swallows hard around the lump in his throat. He can’t fix everything, he can’t make any of this better, can’t make South see that he tried, that he did his very best by her from when they were kids until now and if he can save her, if he can do one last thing, then he’s an okay brother.

“Theta.” His voice goes a little lower, calmer, realizing what has to happen. “I can’t— I can’t stop him, buddy, okay, so I’m gonna need you to shut down on my mark.”

He can’t save Theta from this, from whatever Sigma wants him for, but if it’s anything like the horror that was described after he stole Carolina’s AI and the mess he made, then he’ll do what he can. He won’t have Theta awake for this. Even if it’s not much, he’ll do this.

“Shut down? But North—”

“I know. I know, Theta, I know, but you need to, okay. Shut down and stay shut down until this is over. I’ll wake you back up when it’s okay.” There’s no point in lying— Theta’s so deep in his head anymore that he knows that North is lying, he knows what’s coming. Thankfully, the AI doesn’t question him, he just prepares everything, boosting his shields for a little while longer, and North drags both arms up to shield his helmet for when the shield breaks.

He’s always been better than York about lying, which is why he sucks in a deep breath, and smiles. “It’s gonna be okay, Theta. Mark.”

The shield breaks and Theta goes to shut-down just before the mass of explosions send him flying into concrete. He feels the slice of metal into the soft parts of his armor, the exposed pieces that are too easy to get to, and screams, fire sliding through him hot and fast and nauseating. South isn’t there, though, she’s out of sight, out of the way, and as Maine reaches back and rips Theta out, takes him and stands, he hopes she got away.


End file.
